Charles Leclerc says Ferrari has labored out discover efficiency from the present technology of automobiles and doesn’t concern the method Purple Bull has taken in 2024.
The success of the RB19 has been adopted by a radical evolution with Purple Bull’s bodywork across the engine cowl and sidepods in the direction of the rear of the automotive, and the indicators from testing have been that the RB20 has not less than maintained the crew’s benefit. Nevertheless, Leclerc says there are such a lot of unseen areas of efficiency that he isn’t focusing an excessive amount of on the visible adjustments at Purple Bull, and that Ferrari’s personal understanding has improved considerably in current months.
“I believe it’s very tough to guage how a lot danger each crew has taken,” Leclerc stated. “Clearly, visually the Purple Bull is wanting very totally different this yr in comparison with final yr, I believe you need to go actually beneath cowl to grasp how a lot danger they’ve been taking.
“On our aspect I don’t assume it’s a matter of how a lot danger you’re taking, simply how a lot understanding you may have by yourself automotive, and on this now we have finished an enormous step ahead from Zandvoort final yr. Now we have finished fairly massive adjustments to the automotive in FP1, FP2, to attempt to perceive a bit extra about these new automobiles, and after this race [Zandvoort] we did numerous steps ahead in our understanding and totally different new components we delivered to the automotive.
“As quickly as you perceive, it’s simpler to truly discover the course to push into to have the beneficial properties. Earlier than that, possibly we didn’t have the understanding of precisely extract the efficiency out of those new philosophy of automobiles.”
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Leclerc says it wasn’t absolutely clear the place the Purple Bull’s efficiency stage at present sits throughout testing because of the sort of working that passed off.
“The factor is that Purple Bull is among the solely groups that didn’t run a full simulation in the course of the check, which is generally what helps us to grasp the place we’re precisely, so it’s very tough to know the place they’re,” he stated. “We did one, so we all know the place we’re, clearly. Among the groups have finished some race runs, so now we have sort of an concept the place they stand, however Purple Bull just isn’t the case, so for now it’s inconceivable to grasp the place we’re.
“Nevertheless, it’s [Bahrain] a observe the place we’ve been sturdy up to now, and I hope that we will problem for the win and naturally if there’s a possibility we are going to do completely all the pieces to take it.”
Leclerc didn’t win a race final season however says being within the combine on a extra common foundation would represent a profitable yr in 2024 given the dominance Purple Bull has loved over the previous 18 months.
“To be difficult for possibly extra wins positively could be a step ahead and that might be a constructive season. We have to proceed the constructive momentum from the second half of final yr,” he stated.
“The crew and everybody within the paddock felt that we have been in a constructive spiral and have been going in the direction of higher issues and with a really clear imaginative and prescient of the place we wished to go and go there. That is precisely how we have to method the season — important steps ahead each time we put one thing contained in the automotive, which was the case within the second half of final yr.”
